Posted at 11:15 PM on Wednesday, May. 25, 2011By Bill McEwen / The Fresno Bee During his time as a police officer, Oliver Baines witnessed the link between alcohol use and crime.He’s a Fresno City Council member now, but he still knows that link is present. So this week when he floated the idea of a public-safety tax, he specifically had in mind a county alcohol tax. “I think there’s merit to having a conversation about a tax that is tied to something that drains public safety revenues,” Baines says. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says that reopening jail floors and restoring prosecutor and public defender positions should be a priority. After that he envisions the Sheriff’s Office and police departments getting back lost officers and support staff.” The Public Defender’s Office might not be popular [with some voters],” Dyer says. “But if it’s not adequately funded, their cases bog down the court system. A public defender can’t appear in four courtrooms at one time. The reality is, proper funding is something that you have to do.” Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/05/25/2402903/public-safety-needs-funding.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz1NVSMikt3